"It probably started about 12 years ago or so and I thought it was all sorts of different things," she tells 9Honey. "I went to a spine specialist and had various operations, including two spinal fusions.

"What I found out was that it was a degenerative disease that, despite the surgical intervention, would never be completely healed," she continues. "The surgeries helped a lot because at one stage I was struggling to walk."

Andrea had worked at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for most of her career, from her time as a trainee nurse at 17 to her return to nursing after having kids.

"What I found out was that it was a degenerative disease that, despite the surgical intervention, would never be completely healed."

"After I had the last spinal fusion about three years ago I recovered pretty well, but I still had some residual pain," she says.

"I went to see the surgeon and there was no damage, so I was sent to she a physiotherapist," she says.

The former nurse says she was unable to perform the most basic of functions. (Supplied)

It wasn't until August, 2018, that at the suggestion of a friend, she began a pain management course at the Prince of Wales Hospital aimed at helping those dealing with chronic pain.

"They suggested I do this course and booked into it that afternoon," she says. "But this time I was completely debilitated. I couldn't bend down or pick things off the floor or bend to clean my teeth over the sink.

"I couldn't stand in the kitchen without leaning on the bench," she continues. "I was in pain every night."

"I couldn't bend down or pick things off the floor or bend to clean my teeth over the sink."

Andrea was desperate for the pain management course to work. She and her husband are raising their grandchildren, two teenage girls.

She says the course taught her how to stretch and exercise daily and at first, Andrea says the pain from doing the exercised reduced her to tears.

"They told me I was exactly the right person to come in," she says. "I couldn't function and I needed their help."

Now she and her husband are able to travel again. (Supplied)

She says the medical professionals who ran the course were "supportive and helpful". Slowly Andrea was able to move more freely and her life improved greatly.

"Now I get up 15 minutes early before everyone else in the house wakes up and it really works," she says. "I stretch before I leave the bedroom.

"From day one, the program led us through a daily timetable and it also taught us why we were doing them and helped us reach our goals," she continues.

"My first week I was standing in the kitchen still leaning on the bench, but by the second week I could stand in the kitchen without leaning on the bench," she says.

Andrea worked with physiotherapist Skye Sadokierski during the course.

"Sky had a lot of input and explained the process which motivated me to do it," she says. "There was also a psychologist who taught us how to breathe and relax and medicate.

"It isn't a one-size-fits-all approach," Andrea explains. "What works for one person doesn't work for the other, and when something is working, they can mix it up."

Andrea is able to do tapestry again, is enjoying spending time with her granddaughters.